


Black Valentine

by Blue_Night



Category: Football RPF, Real Person Fiction
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Developing Relationship, Grief/Mourning, Happy Ending, Heartbreak, Hope, Loss, Love, M/M, Memories, Minor Character Death, Past Relationship(s), Valentine's Day, World War II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-24 10:24:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9718478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Night/pseuds/Blue_Night
Summary: Thomas Müller is a young captain of the Air Force during World War II, and he has lost his first love on Valentine's Day. Will he ever find a new love and be happy again, or will Valentine's Day forever be a day of loss and grief for him?





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mariothellama](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariothellama/gifts), [GoForGoals](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoForGoals/gifts), [Janie94](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Janie94/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Home is Where the Heart is](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9641057) by [mariothellama](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariothellama/pseuds/mariothellama). 
  * Inspired by [Eternal Love](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9698144) by [Janie94](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Janie94/pseuds/Janie94). 



> For my three beloved sisters in crime. Happy Valentine to you, my dears, I hope you will like my Valentine story for you.  
> I am so sorry that I didn't have time to write one work for each of you, but I found myself sitting in the office of our pediatrist the entire morning once more, and I really wanted to gift something special to you today. :-*
> 
> My dear mariothellama, this work here might tell you better than any comment could ever do how much I love your special story, the first Müllendowski story you've ever written. I hope you won't mind me using it as an inspiration for this one, it is not meant to interfere with yours in any way. I hope you will take it as the compliment and the sign of my adoration for your writing it is meant to be. Your friendship warms my heart every day:-*
> 
> My dear GoForGoals, I know that you're new to the Müllendowski ship, but this story had to be with them because of the wonderful story it is based upon, and you reading all of my stories that faithfully means more to me than I can tell you. Thank you so much for your wonderful friendship and for everything you're doing for me! :-*
> 
> Dear Janie94, I am still so happy that I started to read your stories and that we came close because of that, I hope that you will like this story which was inspired by your Valentine's fic for mariothellama as well. I am so happy that I can call you my friend! :-*
> 
> My dear readers, the title and the song text in Italics is the song of the wonderful singer Caro Emerald, I can only highly recommend you to listen to it.  
> I hope that you will like this fic at least a little bit, your feedback is what keeps me writing, and your kudos and comments will be my Valentine's gift. <33

_February 14, 1942:_

 

“I'm so sorry, Captain Miller, but he didn't make it. I knew that he was your best friend and that you were very close, and I thought it better to tell you the bad news myself before you would hear it from someone else.”

The young captain standing in front of the desk of his superior officer only nodded his head. His face was white like snow, but his features were impassive and his astonishing green-blue eyes were dry as he listened to the major's words.

“Thank you, major, I appreciate that,” he said, his voice sounding as emotionless as he felt in this moment. He knew that the pain would come later, the unbearable pain about what he had lost, but in this moment all he felt was an all consuming numbness and cold, a cold that came from the inside and made him freeze down to his bones.

His superior regarded him thoughtfully for several long seconds before he spoke up again. “You're dismissed, captain.”

Captain Thomas Miller - who had once been simply Thomas Müller before his parents had immigrated to America – saluted and turned around, closing the door behind him carefully and quietly.

It was Valentine's Day, the day young lovers normally spent together but for Thomas, it would be the day he had lost his love from now on, the day when his world had crashed and shattered into a million pieces.

The 14th February wasn't the day of the color of love any longer, the day of a beautiful and shimmering deep red, but the day of the color of death, the day of a dark and dull black that swallowed every light and left only grief and despair.

The 14th February was now the day where the horrible war keeping the entire world in its iron, merciless grip had taken his love away from him, the day when he had lost everything, his love, his hope, his happiness, his life and his future.

It was Valentine's Day, and Thomas' heart was broken.

 

***

 

_February 14, 1944:_

 

Only insiders knew where the club was to be found, hidden in the cellar rooms of an unobtrusive building in an even more unobtrusive backstreet.

Thomas had come here often together with his friend, comrade and lover when Mario had still been alive, and their first kiss had happened here in this club, back then on Valentine's Day five years ago. They had met when Thomas had joined the Air Force, Mario being older and more experienced than the clumsy greenhorn Thomas had been, and the charismatic lieutenant had taken him under his wings and helped him through the first hard months.

They had only been friends at first and it had taken Thomas a rather long time to realize that Mario was courting him as the true gentleman Mario was. They had visited this club several times before Thomas had realized what kind of club the _'Harlequin'_ was, why only men visited it, and Thomas still remembered the way Mario had smiled at him when the penny had finally dropped. It had been the 14th February 1939, and Mario had kissed him and danced with him until the club had closed.

Thomas hadn't been here since his world had crashed exactly two years ago, but it was his last day before he would leave his home – his second home, because Germany would always be his first home – to fight against America's enemies together with their allies, and Thomas wanted to spend his last night on familiar ground and in remembrance of his lost love. The possibility that he would die wasn't small, and this might be his last chance to come here and listen to the music Mario had loved so much.

The table right before the small stage where they had always sat was free, and Thomas sat down on the chair where he had always sat, leaning back in his seat and looking around. He still knew some of the visitors even after two years, and some of the other men greeted him with a short nod but left him alone, the black tissue in the pocket of his uniform jacket a clear sign that he had lost someone and wasn't looking for company.

The band was still the same as well, but the singer was new, and his warm and smooth voice drew Thomas in right with the first tune that wafted through the with smoke filled air.

 _“Who needs a captain on a love ship?_  
_Someone with no clue of the destination due bow_  
_Ain't that a trip?_

 _Who needs a diamond on a hand of stone?_  
_Someone with the hurt who couldn't make it work,_  
_A trophy because you slipped.”_

The singer was a young man, perhaps a little bit older than Thomas was, with aristocratic and astonishing beautiful male features. His hair was dark and wavy, and the body hidden underneath the tailored and perfectly fitting suit was tall and slim. The unknown artist reminded Thomas painfully of Mario in his dark and elegant appearance, and he swallowed, unable to avert his eyes from the man.

 _“Love can't conquer anything_  
_If it's lost without a trace_  
_You might be tough, you might even be strong_  
_But not when you're in this place._

 _Secret lovers – get lost in the secrets they tell_  
_They make lovers blind when they cover every inch of their lies_  
_Secret lovers – it's just your place of mind_  
_A smoke and some wine is the life of the Black Valentine.”_

Thomas listened to the smooth voice, staring at the singer, and the young man turned his head and looked at him when he felt the young captain's intense gaze upon his face, locking eyes with him as he sang the rest of his song.

 _“Who needs a journey on a runaway train?_  
_Your ticket isn't worth half of what it hurts_  
_When heart beats overwork.”_

His eyes were of a deep and shimmering blue like the summer sky, and Thomas lost himself in those blue depths, the club and the other customers vanishing in the smoky air of the club until Thomas was alone with him, those blue eyes keeping him anchored in the dark sea his life had become two years ago.

Nothing was important any longer, only the warm voice singing a song of love and sorrow only for him and the blue eyes that seemed to look directly into his soul.

 _“Who needs redemption from a guiltless crime?_  
_Someone carries dreams from scene to scene_  
_Till they tear apart your mind.”_

There was an aura of melancholy surrounding the dark-haired singer like a halo, a melancholy Thomas knew so well himself, and he felt closer to him than he had felt to any other human being since he had lost Mario.

 _“Love can't conquer anything_  
_If it's lost without a trace_  
_You might be tough, you might even be strong_  
_But not when you're in this place._

 _Secret lovers – get lost in the secrets they tell_  
_They make lovers blind when they cover every inch of their lies_  
_Secret lovers – it's just your place of mind_  
_A smoke and some wine is the life of the Black Valentine.”_

His movements were chary but elegant, and Thomas thought that the singer didn't need to squirm and wind, his presence and his voice were enough to bring his audience under his spell. Thomas could have listened to him for the rest of his life, and the song he sang cut right through the young captain. It was as if the other one knew about Thomas' loss and had waited to sing this song until he had come here to sit down on the chair where he had spent the happiest hours of his life until his own Black Valentine had shattered his heart.

 _“This is their demand for another night they spend in self-conversation_  
_It's a will they came to pose in a letter they've composed_  
_To repeat the situation_  
_They lie in a loop._

 _Secret lovers – get lost in the secrets they tell_  
_They make loves blind when they cover every inch of their lies_  
_Secret lovers – it's just your place of mind_  
_A smoke and some wine is the life of the Black Valentine.”_

The song ended and Thomas blinked. He felt like waking up from a dream, and he flinched when the waiter appeared next to his chair, putting a glass with wine onto the table before him.

Uhm, sorry, but this isn't my order,” Thomas objected. The waiter smiled. “Mr. Lewandowski ordered that for you.”

“Mr. Lewandowski? I don't know him,” Thomas said, looking confused at the glass. The soft and warm chuckle in his back sent shivers along his spine.

“I was so free to order the wine for you, captain.” He looked even better so close by than he had looked from the distance, and Thomas licked over his dry lips, watching the dark-haired singer with the deep blue eyes sitting down on the chair where Mario had always sat.

“But, you can't...” his voice trailed off, and Thomas realized that he wanted this man to sit down there, that he wanted to get to know him better. It was his last night before he would have to leave everything behind, his last chance to replace the painful memories with something else, something that would give him the hope that there was still a future left for him, something that would give him the will back to survive.

The dark-haired singer smiled at him, his eyes traveling to the black tissue in Thomas' pocket before focusing on his face again. “I am Robert Lewandowski, but you can call me Robert or Lewy. I've never seen you here before captain.”

Thomas took the offered hand. “I am Thomas Miller – Thomas. I came here often until two years ago, together with... a friend. But I couldn't do that any longer – not without him, not until today,” he introduced himself, not knowing why he told Lewandowski – Lewy – that.

The blue eyes regarded him with understanding, and Thomas realized that his counterpart knew this kind of loss, that he must have experienced something similar.

“The war?” Robert asked quietly, and Thomas nodded. He felt a lump in his throat, but it was relieving to finally talk about it. “Yes. It happened exactly on this day, two years ago.”

“I see. And you came here one last time before you'll leave tomorrow.” It wasn't a question, only a calm statement.

Thomas nodded again. “And you? The war too?”

Robert slowly shook his head. “No. He fell in love with someone else. It was better for both of us, but it hurt nevertheless. He told me last year, one day before Valentine. It was my first evening as a singer in this club, and I watched him dance with his new lover while I sang the song you've just listened to with such devotion.”

Thomas raised his glass to his lips. “Would you sing it again for me?” he asked, and Robert smiled at him.

“Will you wait for me until the club closes if I do?” he answered with a counter question, and Thomas felt himself relax and a soft smile curl at his lips, the first real smile within two long and dark years.

“I will.”

 

***

 

The chamber was small and the bed narrow, but the two young men moving on it were too lost in their passionate and tender lovemaking to care about the shabby room or the hard bed.

Thomas had waited so long for a pair of warm arms to hold him, for tender lips kissing his tears and his pain away, and he let the sensations of a strong male body covering him and the warm breath ghosting over his flushed skin as Robert whispered hoarse words or ardor against his neck wash over him with gratitude and humbleness.

No matter what the next day would bring, the precious memories of his last night on American ground could no one and nothing take away from him. Thomas pulled Robert close, arching his back into the thrusts as the older man possessed him with wanton abandon, opening not only his body for him but also his mind and his heart, letting Robert's love and passion be the remedy for his wounded soul he had craved for for so long.

It was the 14th February, the day that had become the darkest day of the year for him two years ago, but with Robert the darkness faded from pitch black to gray, and grayness could announce not only the black night, but also the bright and golden morning. Thomas suddenly hoped that there would still be mornings for him, that he would survive the insanity this horrible war was, something he had thought would never happen to him.

He didn't know if he would ever see Robert again, but Robert had shown him that he could still feel something, that he could move on and would perhaps find somebody he could love again one day.

They moved in unison until they came together, holding each other tight as they shuddered through the throes of passion, and Thomas opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, knowing that Mario was looking down at him with a happy smile from wherever he was now.

“I love you,” he whispered almost inaudible, and he meant both with them, the man he had lost on Valentine's Day and the man he had found on the very same day two years later.

Tomorrow, he would leave America and fight for freedom and justice but tonight, he would give love and receive love after two long and lonely years. Tonight, he would let love back in, because it was Valentine's Day, and this day is the day meant to celebrate and cherish love.

The 14th February was the day Thomas had finally found hope and love again.

 

***

 

_February 14, 1947:_

 

“Welcome back, Major Miller! It is a pleasure to have you here!”

Major Thomas Miller smiled at the young officer who had waited for him at the gate to show him around on the base where he would train young pilots in the future.

Thomas had survived the horrible war but become severely injured near the end of it, and his rehab had been long and painful. But Thomas had not given up, he had endured pain and setbacks with grim determination and here he was back where he wanted to be close to his beloved fighters.

He couldn't fly himself any longer, but General Heynckes had offered him the post as a teacher on his base, and Thomas had gladly taken the offer because he couldn't imagine his life without planes in it. He didn't feel any bitterness that he would never sit in a cockpit again, all he felt was gratitude that he was alive and that the sun was shining for him on every new morning.

“And here is the infirmary. Dr. Lewandowski is our head physician,” the young lieutenant's voice pulled him out of his memories, and Thomas stopped in the entrance with a surprised gasp.

Blue eyes sparkled, and the smile spreading out on the beautiful male face Thomas still knew so well made butterflies dance around in his stomach.

“Major Miller, welcome home, I am so pleased to see you again,” Robert's voice was still as warm and smooth as Thomas remembered it, and Robert was still breathtakingly beautiful, only a few lines around his eyes proving that the war had taken its toll on him as well.

“Dr. Lewandowski,” Thomas stammered, shaking Robert's warm hand. “I didn't know that you are a physician.”

Robert chuckled. “Only during the days, major. During the nights, I'm still a singer. Would you like to come to the club where I'm singing now tonight? Just like in old times?”

Thomas knew that he was grinning stupidly all over his face, but he didn't care, all he cared about was that life had given him a second chance and that he had found Robert again.

“Only if you will sing _'Black Valentine'_ for me,” he teased the other man, ignoring the lieutenant's confused expression.

“I haven't sung this song in a rather long time but why not, after all, it is Valentine's Day today, so singing it would be very fitting. I'll see you tonight then, Major,” Robert said with a smile and when Thomas looked deep in his eyes, he could see that Robert felt the same way for him as Thomas felt for the man who had cured his broken heart with one special song.

From this day on, the 14th February would wear the shimmering red color of love again instead of the dull and sad black of grief and despair, because it had won back its true meaning, love had won over death and peace had won over war.

Today was the 14th February, the day when lovers in the whole world celebrated and cherished their love, and this was what Thomas and Robert would do, celebrate their love on the day that had brought them together two times, Valentine's Day.


End file.
